Guía para comenzar

Gracias a HornetMax, RiccoChicco, Ian e Ivolution. (iremos traduciendo de a poco...)

INTRODUCCIÓN

GP Bikes (abreviado GPB) es un simulador de motociclismo. Intenta basarse en físicas e motos reales hasta el punto en el que suele ser un "juego" muy difícil.
• Cuando comienzas a probar GPB vas a encontrar difícil realizar una vuelta completa sin caídas. La práctica es la clave.
• Luego de un tiempo, vas a encontrar difícil realizar una vuelta a un ritmo "decente" sin caídas. La práctica es la clave.
• Más adelante, vas a considerar imposible que algún corredor pueda ser tan rápido. La práctica es la clave


1. Descarga e instalación:
o 1.1 Descarga e instalación
o 1.2 Demo vs versión full
o 1.3 Registro para estadísticas online
o 1.4 Perfil de usuario
o 1.5 Controles
o 1.6 Gráficos, Misceláneas y configuraciones de simulación
 
2. GPB carpetas y archivos .pkz
o 2.1 Carpeta del programa
o 2.2 Carpeta Data
o 2.3 Archivos .pkz
 
3. Instalación de agregados (add-ons)
o 3.1 Add-ons: circuitos
o 3.2 Add-ons: motos
o 3.3 Add-ons: pinturas
o 3.4 Add-ons: cascos
o 3.5 Add-ons: plugins
 
4. Correr offline/online
o 4.1 Corriendo offline (Tests)
o 4.2 Corriendo online: conexión a servidores
o 4.3 Corriendo online: crear un servidor
o 4.4 Corriendo online: etiquette
 
5. Replays
o 5.1 Replays: ver/editar guardar replays
o 5.2 Replays: replays mientras se corre offline/online
 
 

1.1 Descarga e instalación

Podés descargar GP Bikes del sitio oficial: http://www.gp-bikes.com/?page=downloads.

Al abrir el insalador, aparecerá una ventana para (en orden):

1. Licencia- legales : leerlo y aceptar.
2. Detalles de instalación básicos (carpeta de destino, creación de un acceso directo, etc).
3. OpenAL 1.1 Redist instalador: dejarlo tal cual aparece, salvo que sepas exactamente qué estás haciendo y de qué se trata.
4. Registrarse URL protocol: Esto permitirá abrir el GPB conectándose a un servidor online clickeando un hyperlink (e.g. desde auí: http://stats.gp-bikes.com/servers.php, el "Join" de la derecha).
Ahora, al abrir por primera vez el simulador, te solicitará un Nickname y una License Key (clave de licencia):

• Si compraste el juego, recibirás una clave de registro a tu mail (el que asociaste en la cuenta de PayPal). La clave es similar a esto: H0ND4-DUC4T-7R1UM-5U2UK-4PR1L.
• Si no compraste la licencia, clickea en Demo para acceder a la versión demo.
Un video comenzará: presionar ESC para saltearlo y ya estarás en el menu principal.


IMPORTANT NOTES:

• It is strongly recommended to update your graphics driver and drivers for fancy input controller (wheel, pedals, specialized joysticks etc). Do it. Now !
• Running the installer or the game as administrator is normally not necessary.
• If you are installing a new version of GPB it is recommended to do a clean install:
o Remove (or move) your GP Bikes data directory: see 2.2 Data folder before doing so.
o Install the new version to a different directory or move the old one away/rename it: see 2.1 Program file folder.
• Re-installing the same version on an existing installation will not delete any of your data (mods, settings, records etc): this sometimes can help solving issues (e.g. corrupted files). Notice it will however overwrite yourgpbikes.ini (in case you've changed stuff there, you may want to redo your changes/save it before reinstalling).
1.2 Demo vs full version

Demo version of GP Bikes is free but, of course, is limited. With the demo version:

• You will not be able to use any other bike than the default 125cc (with the default paint).
• You will not be able to use any other track than the default one (Victoria).
• You will not be able to play on online servers.
However, the demo version has no other limitation. Things most don't know:

• You will be able to install any GPB plugin (see 3.5 Add-ons: plugins).
• You will be able to run a dedicated server (see 5.3 Playing online: Hosting a server).

The demo version is there to allow you to check that GPB runs fine on your PC and gives you a glimpse of the great potential of the game.

If you have the demo version and you decide after a while to purchase a license, simply enter your License Key when you start the game and the full version will be unlocked: no need to re-download nor re-install.


1.3 Register for online stats

With the full version of GPB you will be able to play on online servers. This is tons of fun by itself of course, but there's another perk: your ego will be tested as your best lap times (per bike category, per track) will be published on the GP Bikes Records page: http://stats.gp-bikes.com/records.php

To activate this you need to register here: http://stats.gp-bikes.com/register.php

• For your initial registration you will have to enter your Nickname (same as entered with the License Key, see 1.1 Download and install), Paypal email and License Key, leaving the Old Nickname empty.
• If you want to change your Nickname later on then enter all the information, including the Old Nickname.
In any case, enter the captcha code too before clicking on the Submit button. Yeah, it happened ...

1.4 User profiles

GP Bikes allows you to have different profiles: this is helpful if you have split personality disorder and in other situations.

For example, if you play sometimes with a joypad and sometimes with a steering wheel, having two separate profiles will avoid reassigning all the controls each time you switch between the two devices. Note that if you play with a keyboard, professional psychiatric advice is strongly recommended.

Also, bike setups are saved within a profile (see 2.2 Data folder for a detailed description).

You must create at least one profile: if you don't, you will be playing under the infamous "unnamed profile". It's ugly. And you will lose your controller settings each time you quit the game. It's bad.

So from GP Bikes main menu, click on Profiles and then you will be able to add a new profile and delete/modify existing profiles.

Notice that the Name you enter in the Profile does not have to be identical to the Nickname.

Once you have at least one profile, you're ready to configure the serious stuff.

1.5 Controls

From GPB main menu, clicking on the Settings menu will bring you to the settings page. It has 6 tabs (bottom part of the screen), named Input, Input 2, Input 3, Graphics, Misc and Simulations. The last 3 will be described in the next section (1.6 Graphics, Misc and Simulation settings), while the first 3 will allow you to properly configure your controller.

IMPORTANT NOTE: a proper configuration of your controller is very important in GPB. If your controller is not configured properly you will find it extremely hard to ride the bike.

1.5.1 Settings/Input tab

1.5.1.1 Settings/Input tab: Calibration
In this tab, on the top left corner you'll see a Calibrate button: once you click on it a small pop-up will appear showing on the fisrt line the name of the current input device, preceded by two small arrows to cycle through all the available devices (supporting calibration, no keyboard here).
You must calibrate all the devices you plan to use with GPB: typically you'll only use one (e.g. a joypad or a wheel+pedals), but GPB allows you to use multiple devices at the same time. In any case, you have to calibrate all the ones you intend to use: select the device then move all its analog axes to their full extent (joysticks, triggers, pedals, sliders, whatever). You will see the the numbers and sliders move in the window. Once you're done with one device, change to the other (if necessary) and do the same. once done with all, click on OK. The calibration is saved and normally you will not need to re-calibrate again (it's a good idea to do it from time to time however).

1.5.1.2 Settings/Input tab: Controls
Back to the Input tab, you now have to assign the controls. GPB main controls are:
• Lean: this is the bike lean (i.e. roll) angle. It causes steering but it's not the bike steering angle.
• Throttle, Brake (front), Rear brake and Clutch: self-explanatory, I hope.
• F/B Lean, L/R Lean: these are the rider forward/backward and left/right movements.
Typically you will want to associate Lean, Throttle and Brake (front) to analog axes of your device (i.e. not to digital buttons, with ON/OFF behaviour). Clutch (if used) and Rear brake should in theory be on analog axes too, but some players have them on digital buttons. Rider movements (F/B Lean, L/R Lean) are not used by many players as GPB can control these movements for you (see 1.6 Graphics, Misc and Simulation settings): if used they should go to analog axes too.

To assign a control, after you have calibrated all your devices, click on the line of the control and you will be prompted to actuate your input device (i.e. the axis/button you want to associate to the control).

IMPORTANT: using a joypad with two analog triggers, the two triggers will usually be combined. This means that if you press both triggers fully, the net effect will be zero. If you want to avoid this (on a XInput compatible joypad, like the XBoX 360 pad) you have to install the XInput plugin (see XInput plugin).

1.5.1.3 Settings/Input tab: Direct Lean
Direct Lean is by default OFF (not ticked). This means that GPB applies some sort of filtering/smoothing to your Lean input. If you activate Direct Lean you will find that the bike is (simplifying a long story a lot) more quick in its leaning movements, more reactive. Most of the players are happy with Direct Lean off, some prefer it on.
Important: Direct Lean is not Direct Steer. Direct Steer is something completely different, briefly explained here: Direct steer. 99% of  the players do not care about Direct Steer.

1.5.1.4 Settings/Input tab: Force Feedback
Force feedback is available only on some specialized joysticks and on steering wheels. The controls exposed in that section are self-explanatory.
Important: Force feedback is not the rumble that some joypads support, it's much more complex. By the way, GPB does not support any rumble feature at the moment.

1.5.1.5 Settings/Input tab: Advanced
In this section you can apply some modifiers to each control (Lean, Throttle, Brake, Rear brake, Clutch, F/B Lean and L/R Lean). The possible modifiers are:
• Deadzone: this will introduce a dead zone around the 0 (zero) value of your analog axis (0 = no deadzone, 100 = large deadzone). It is sometimes useful for axis that have poor centering or if you want to have no sensitivity to small movements around the zero of the axis.
• Linearity: when it's 0 (zero), the relationship between your axis and the control is linear, while when it's 100 the relationship is non-linear, having less sensitivity in the first part of the axis range. Said otherwise, smaller movements will have less effect: you'll be more precise for smaller movements (but less for larger ones).
• Smooth: this is some sort of filtering of your control (low-pass). It actually smooths your input to the specified degree (0 to 100, less to more). You can specify two different degrees, one for "press" and one for "release" (i.e. the two directions you can move a stick/trigger). This can be useful when using digital buttons on controls that should be analog (like the rear brake). Notice however that any kind of filtering will introduce some delay in your control.

1.5.1.6 Settings/Input tab: basic setup
A very common basic setup for a joypad with 2 analog sticks and 2 analog triggers (e.g. the XBoX 360 controller, probably the most used controller for GPB) is:
• Lean on left stick (left/right).
• Throttle and brake (front) on triggers.
• Other controls as it suits you.
• Direct Lean OFF.
• For all controls: no deadzone, linearity at 100, no smooth.
Notice that on the lower right part of the screen you have a visual representation of the 7 controls: moving your input device you should see the bars moving.

1.5.2 Settings/Input 2 tab

1.5.2.1 Settings/Input 2 tab: Gearbox
Here you can assign two buttons to shift gears up and down. The Preload option (off by default) allows to use a different shift mode: you can pre-engage a gear with one of the buttons and the gear will actually shift only when the throttle is lifted. With Preload off, the procedure is the usual one: either use the clutch or lift the throttle before shifting up (unless the bike has a shifter, like the default 990, in which case no clutch/lift throttle is required).

1.5.2.2 Settings/Input 2 tab: Controls / View / Gestures
Controls:
• Reset: button to reset the bike after a fall. Used a lot.
• Low Speed: two buttons to have the rider "walk" the bike (forward and backward).
• Dash:  changes the dashboard screen (if there are multiple ones).
• Pit Limiter: button to activate pit lane speed limiter (playing online you can get a penalty for speeding in the pit lane).
• Engine mapping: button to cycle through the different engine mappings. Not all the bikes have multiple mappings. For the default 990 the maps are: qualify, race1, race2 and wet.
View:
• Change View: button to cycle through the 3 possible views. They are: rider view (the most realistic, but pretty hard), tank view (similar to rider view, but with less camera movements, a bit easier) and 3rd person view (from behind the bike, the easier but also the less realistic).
• Look Back: button to look back..
• Heading: buttons to look left and right. Only for rider and tank views.
• Tear Off: removes the plastic film from the helmet visor (it gets dirty). Only for rider and tank views.
Gestures:
• Raise Arm, Complain, Win Gesture, Angry Gesture: Show the others how you feel.
• Chat: In game chat.

1.5.3 Settings/Input 3 tab
These are self-explanatory controls of the replay cameras (only for cameras Free and Free Roam). Yes, you could be the next Kubrick.

1.6 Graphics, Misc and Simulation settings

From the GPB settings page (Main menu/ Settings).

1.6.1 Settings/Graphics tab
All the settings here are self-explanatory. GPB does not require a very powerful GPU to run properly but of course, increasing resolution/detail/quality will lead to lower frame rates. A few remarks:
• If you want to activate vsync, see this post: http://forum.piboso.com/index.php?topic=15.msg24#msg24
• For better bike shadows and reflections, see this post: http://forum.piboso.com/index.php?topic=14.msg23#msg23
• For better texture qaulity, see this post: http://forum.piboso.com/index.php?topic=14.msg1934#msg1934

1.6.2 Settings/Misc tab
Audio, Units, Date Formats, Connection and Track should be self-explanatory. Autochat can assign keys 1 to 0 to chat messages you can edit.

In the lower left corner you can opt to skip the intro video when starting the game.

In the lower right corner Help Changes on-track helpers: on Min pitlane speed and session info are not displayed (except for sighting lap). On Off 2D pitboard, 3D and 2D start stall helpers, 2D starting lights, and sighting lap info are hidden too.

Remark that if you do not select the highest connection speed, you might not to see all the riders on the grid/track.

1.6.3 Settings/Simulation tab
1.6.3.1 Settings/Simulation tab: Cockpit View
Some settings for the cockpit view (aka rider view):
• Field of View: FOV measured in degrees. 75 is default.
• Tilt: if the rider head was rigidly connected to the bike, when you lean the bike by (let's say) 45 degrees, you will see the horizon at 45 degree angle. This is not what happens in reality cause the rider typically compensate for that in order to keep the horizon more or less ... horizontal. The Tilt angle gives the maximum horizon angle: if you set it at 0 (zero) your horizon will always be horizontal, no matter the bike lean angle.
• Freelook: this settings allow to control the rider head (i.e. where he's looking at) using Tracking, Face Tracking or Mouse Look.
• Pitch: the pitch angle of the rider look direction (i.e. look "more up" or "more down").
• Corner anticipation: this makes the rider look more "towards the corner" when approaching the corner.

1.6.3.2 Settings/Simulation tab: Riding Aids
Some automatic aids are provided by GPB. They are OK when you debut with GPB, but you should avoid the ones marked with a (*) once you have more experience.
• Automatic Shift (*): GPB will shift gears for you. That's bad. Also, it makes you slower.
• Shift Help: GPB will lift the throttle for you before shifting up a gear. This has no effect on bikes with a shifter (like the default 990).
• Automatic Clutch: GPB will handle the clutch for you when starting from still position.
• Traction Help (*): GPB will handle the throttle for you when the bike is about to lose traction (to a limited degree).
• Wheeling Help (*): GPB will handle the throttle for you when the bike is about to start a wheelie.
• Brake Help (*): GPB will handle the brakes for you when the bike is about to lock the wheels.
• Automatic Rider F/B Lean: GPB will move the rider forward/backward for you.
• Automatic Rider L/R Lean: GPB will move the rider left/right for you.
• Show Best Line: Shows a best line. The "best" part is not guaranteed.
• Automatic Tyre Change: GPB will automatically put a new set of tyres whenever you exit the pits. Handy, unless you're on a server where you have a limited number of tyre sets.

Notice that some aids may be not allowed on some servers.

2.1 Program file folder

The GPB program file folder is the directory you installed GPB in: by default, this is something like C:\Program Files\GP Bikes. Notice that the exact folder may depend on your OS (XP/Vista/7/ and if it is 32/64 bits.

In this directory you will find:
• the main executable of the game: core.exe, used to launch the game and also a dedicated server (see 4.3 Playing online: Hosting a server)
• two configuration files: core.ini and mod.ini (see Documentation for details).
• some log files (.txt)
• a gpbikes folder.
The most important is the gpbikes folder, which itself will contain (after the basic installation):
• Some .ini files: gpbikes.ini, testing.ini and telemetry.ini (see Documentation for details).
• Some .pkz files.
• A docs folder and a plugins folder.
If you have unpacked some .plz files (see 2.3 .pkz files), you may also have additional folders (e.g. bikes, tracks etc).

2.2 Data folder

2.2.1 Data folder: location

Typically the data folder is generally My Documents\Piboso. This may depend on your OS: for XP aficionados, it's probably C:\Users\<your_name>\Piboso. In one specific situation the data folder will be located elsewhere: if in yourcore.ini you set compatibility=0, then the data folder will be the gpbikles folder in GPB Program file folder: so typically this will be C:\Program Files\GP Bikes\gpbikes.

2.2.2 Data folder: content

The data folder contains plenty of important stuff:
• The license.ini file: this contains your Nickname and License Key: if you install GPB on a different computer (or if you reinstall after a format), you may want to keep a copy of this file.
• A global.ini  file: not really interesting.
• The replays and screenshots directories: where replays and screenshots are saved.
• The profiles directory: in this directory you will find one sub-directory for each created profile (name of the folder is the same as the profile name, with spaces replaced by underscores). Each profile will contain:
o Files calib.txt and controls.txt: these contain your device(s) calibration data and the control assignments.
o Your records.ini: this contains your best lap times (per bike category, per track), but only for offline play. See 4.1 Playing offline (Testing) for details.
o Your profile.ini: this contains a lot of profile-specific settings. See profile.ini for details.
o A cockpit folder, with bike-specific files for cockpit stuff (dash).
o A setup folder, with per-track, per-bike setups (.stp files).
It's not a bad idea to keep a backup copy of your entire data folder or to be sure that your regular backup also include the data folder ('cause you do have regular backups, right ?).

2.3 .pkz files

In GPB, some .pkz files are located under the gpbikes folder in the GPB program file folder. Typically you will find bikes.pkz, effects.pkz, misc.pkz, rider.pkz, tracks.pkz and ui.pkz.

You can inspect the content of one of these files changing its extension to .rar and opening it with any WinZIP-like program. Each file will create a directory names just as the file (e.g. bikes, tracks etc) and some files inside the directory.

IMPORTANT: usually there's no need to unzip these files. If you have both the .pkz and some of its files in the corresponding directory, the files in the directory will have priority (will "override") the file sin the .pkz. So be very careful and avoid modifications to these files (unless you really know what you are doing). Best way to avoid any change: keep the files as .pkz and do't unpack them.

3.1 Add-ons: tracks

Useful link for most of the tracks: Track Downloads.

Instructions:
1. Download the track: typically you will download an archive (.zip, .rar or whatever), save it somewhere on your computer.
2. Expand the archive: use whichever program you like (WinZIP, WinRAR, etc). You should obtain a new folder: be sure to check that the new folder does not contain only another folder with the same name (e.g.Mugello\Mugello): in that case you should remove the outer level.
3. Move the folder to GPB tracks directory: GPB tracks are located in the directory gpbikes/tracks in the Program file folder. Typically you will hence have them in C:\Program Files\GP Bikes\gpbikes\tracks. If the tracksdirectory does not exist, just create it.
4. Check the directory:: you should have something similar to the image below:  exact content doesn't matter a lot,  but your new track directory should not contain only another directory with the same name.
5. Restart GPB: check that the track is available.
Things to keep in mind:
• In the in-game server list (see 4.2 Playing online: connecting to servers) you will not see servers using tracks that you don't have. You can however see all the servers here: GPB Servers
• When playing online, you have to have the exact same version of the track as the one on the server: if you have a different version you will get a Data Mismatch error when connecting to the server.
• If you are installing a new version of a track you already have, it's better to avoid merging the existing directory with the new one: just delete/move away the old directory before moving the new one in.
3.2 Add-ons: bikes

Useful links for mod bikes downloads:
• Bikes section
• Bike mod (managed by JamoZ)

Instructions:
1. Download the bike: typically you will download an archive (.zip, .rar or whatever), save it somewhere on your computer.
2. Expand the archive: use whichever program you like (WinZIP, WinRAR, etc). You should obtain a new folder (or multiple folders if the archive contains multiple bikes): the name of the folder is the name of the bike. Be sure to check that the new folder does not contain only another folder with the same name (e.g. honda rcv213\honda rcv213): in that case you should remove the outer level.
3. Move the folder to GPB bikes directory: GPB bikes are located in the directory gpbikes/bikes in the Program file folder. Typically you will hence have them in C:\Program Files\GP Bikes\gpbikes\bikes. If the bikes directory does not exist, just create it.
4. Check the directory:: you should have something similar to the image below:  exact content doesn't matter a lot, but your new bike directory should not contain only another directory with the same name.
5. Restart GPB: check that the bike is available.
Things to keep in mind:
• In the in-game server list (see 4.2 Playing online: connecting to servers) you will not see servers using bikes that you don't have. You can however see all the servers here: GPB Servers
• When playing online, you have to have the exact same version of the bike as the one on the server: if you have a different version you will get a Data Mismatch error when connecting to the server.
• If you are installing a new version of a bike you already have, it's better to avoid merging the existing directory with the new one: just delete/move away the old directory before moving the new one in.
3.3 Add-ons: paints

Useful links for skins downloads: Paints section

Instructions:
1. Download the paint: typically you will download a .pnt file. If the paint is downloaded as an archive (.zip, .rar or whatever), expand it with whichever program you like (WinZIP, WinRAR, etc) until you get a .pnt file (or multiple .pnt files if dealing with multiple paints in a single archive).
2. You need to know to which bike the paint applies: the 4 base bikes coming with GPB are named msm_125rr_07, msm_125rr_cup_07, varese_v594 and murasama_rc990_03.
3. Move the .pnt file(s) to the paints directory of the correct bike: for example, for the base 990 bike coming with GPB (named murasama_rc990_03), you will have to put .pnt files into (typically) C:\Program Files\GP Bikes beta4b\gpbikes\bikes\murasama_rc990_03\paints. If the bike directory (e.g. C:\Program Files\GP Bikes beta4b\gpbikes\bikes\murasama_rc990_03) is not there, just create it. Same for its paints sub-directory.
4. Restart GPB: check that the paint is available.
Things to keep in mind:
• If you play on an online server, the other players will need to have the same paint you are using in order to see you correctly. If they don't the will see you with a strange white paint. If you don't have a paint another rider is using, you will see him with the strange white paint.
3.4 Add-ons: helmets

Useful links for helmets downloads: Helmets section

Instructions:
1. Download the helmet: typically you will download an archive (.zip, .rar or whatever), save it somewhere on your computer.
2. Expand the archive: use whichever program you like (WinZIP, WinRAR, etc). You should obtain a new folder (or multiple folders if the archive contains multiple helmets): the name of the folder is the name of the helmet. Be sure to check that the new folder does not contain only another folder with the same name (e.g. Shoei X-Spirit I\Shoei X-Spirit I): in that case you should remove the outer level.
3. Move the folder(s) to the rider\helmets directory of GPB: this directory is (typically) C:\Program Files\GP Bikes beta4b\gpbikes\rider\helmets. If the  rider directory is not there, just create it. Same for its helmets sub-directory.
4. Restart GPB: check that the helmet is available.
Things to keep in mind:
• If you play on an online server, the other players will need to have the same helmet you are using in order to see you correctly.
3.5 Add-ons: plugins

Useful links for plugins downloads: Plugins section

Instructions:
1. Download the plugin: typically you will download an archive (.zip, .rar or whatever), save it somewhere on your computer.
2. Expand the archive: use whichever program you like (WinZIP, WinRAR, etc). You should obtain at least one .dlo (or .dli) file, but the plugin may also include additional files and directories.
3. Move all the content to the plugins directory of GPB: this directory is (typically) C:\Program Files\GP Bikes beta4b\gpbikes\plugins.
4. Restart GPB: check that the helmet is available (exactly how depends on the plugin itself).
4.1 Playing offline (Testing)

Testing (i.e. playing offline) allows you to play alone and does not need an internet connection nor the full version of GPB (demo is OK).

From GPB main menu, click on Testing to start a test session:
• On the top of the screen you will be able to select a track from the ones you have installed (only Victoria Circuit is available in Demo mode).
• On the left you have 2 tabs showing an image of the track (Image), the track layout, length and altitude (Track Info) and the weather parameters (Settings).
• On the bottom of the screen you have buttons to go back to the main menu (Back), to select a Bike (Bike) and to go to the track (Start).
When selecting the Bike, you will be able to select:
• The Bike model: basic ones are msm_125rr_07, msm_125rr_cup_07, varese_v594 and murasama_rc990_03. Other ones can be added, see 3.2 Add-ons: bikes.
• The bike's Paint: to add paints see 3.3 Add-ons: paints.
• The Helmet model: to add helmets see 3.4 Add-ons: helmets.
• The Helmet paint: these come with the helmet model.
• The Riding style: at the moment only 1 style is there (Blend).
IMPORTANT: in the Demo version of GPB, only the msm_125rr_07 bike (with default paint, default helmet, and default helmet paint) is allowed.

Once you click on Start, the track will load (it takes a few seconds) and you'll be on the Testing main screen. You have:
• On the left: Event Info, Laps and Track info.
• On the bottom: Back (exit to GPB main menu), Settings (same as GPB main menu settings), Replay (see ), Garage (see: ) and To Track (get on that bike !).
4.2 Playing online: connecting to servers

4.2.1 Servers list
To play online (which means with other players), you need to be connected to internet (you probably guessed it  ).
From GPB main menu, click Race: typically you will see an empty list of servers, as GPB displays here the local servers. To access online servers, click on World (top right).

IMPORTANT: you can only see servers that are using a track that you have (identical version) and mod bikes that you have (again, identical versions).

Each line briefly describes a server :
• Name : the server name. Often the necessary mods are part of the name (e.g. Hotlap + MOD 1.21).
• Connected Players/ Total players capacity.
• Track : notice that even if you have the right track, if the version is not identical you'll get a Data Mismatch error.
• Category : It represents which types of bikes are allowed on track. Open means that every bike is allowed (in case of the bike is installed to server). It is possible to have restrictions, for example "GP1000". In this case, you'll be able to join the server only if you have a bike belonging to the category. If the server is Open, you can pick your bike before connecting to the server, clicking on Bike (bottom of the screen).
• Lenght : Reprents in percentage length of the race. If a track has 25 laps by default, 20% means that race will be 5 laps.
• Weather : It cans be S (Sunny), C (Cloudy), R (Rainy).
• Status : Waiting means that the session is not started and will start once you're connected. Practice, Qualify and Race are the other options. Note that if the race is started, you will no tbe able to join the server.
• Ping : ping between your computer and the server. Lower is better.

4.2.2 Connecting
To connect to a server just double click on the server line (or click once and then click on the Join button).
• If the server has a password (or if you have admin rights on the server) you have to enter the password in the Password.
• While connecting you normally see a message Connecting... for a brief time and then a message Connected... that lasts longer (sometimes much longer, depending on the server and on your computer speed).
When you see a riders list, you're online. Notice that the screen is very similar to the one for offline play, but it has an additional Chat button that allows to chat with the other riders.

Before going on track, take a look at online etiquette : 4.4 Playing online: etiquette.

4.2.3 Common issues
• Stuck on Connected message : check your game hasn't crashed (do Alt+Tab to switch to desktop or other windows).
• Data Mismatch : one of your mods (bikes or tracks) is not up to date, or you don't have every bikes installed on the server. For example if server has M1 and RCV installed and you just have RCV, you need to install the M1 to connect (even if you don't use it). Usually, bikes installed on server are indicated in server's name.
• Bike Unknown to Server : you're using a bike that is not installed on the server.
• Wrong password : you entered a wrong password or you didn't enter one whereas the server needs one. Bad.

IMPORTANT NOTES:
• Playing online requires you to have everything up to date (version of the game, version of the track and version of bikes)
• You can watch the server list without starting GP-Bikes. Just go in http://stats.gp-bikes.com/servers.php . It displays all servers, even if you don't have tracks installed. If during the installation of GPB you selected theRegister URL protocol option, clicking Join in this server list will start GPB connecting to the server.
4.3 Playing online: Hosting a server

4.3.1 Hosting a server - the easy way
From GPB Main Menu, click on Race and then on Host Local (top left of the screen): you'll be asked to enter a server name (as it will appear in the Servers list), a password (will be necessary to connect to the server) and a max number of riders that can connect to it. Once this done, clicking on Continue will allow you to select the track (amongst the ones you have installed locally) and set a lot of parameters. Most are self-explanatory, others:
• Category: Open means any bike can connect, if you sepcify a specific category (e.g. GP1000) only bikes in that category will be allowed on the server.
• Sighting Lap: in a race, this is the lap that starts from the pits and takes the bike to the grid.
• Warmup Lap: in a race, this is the lap from the grid to the grid, prior to the race start.
Once all set, clicking on Start will start the server and you will be able to play. Other players will normally be able to see your server and connect to it as described in 4.2 Playing online: connecting to servers. Notice that as soon as you exit the "race", the server shuts down.

IMPORTANT: GPB by default uses UDP ports 10500 and 10510 for network protocol. If you have a firewall (and, by the way, you should), you must open theses ports. How ? it depend son your firewall. Google is your friend.

4.3.2 Hosting a server - the PRO way
The proper way to host is to use a dedicated server. When doing this, you will have a process, the (in)famous core.exe, that will only run the server. To play on this server you will have to start GPB as usual (which starts another core.exe).

How it is done is explained here: Dedicated server. Notice only that in the .ini of the dedicated server you can change the UDP ports used: of course if you change them, you have to open them in your firewall.

4.4 Playing online: etiquette
When you play online on public servers there's one golden rule to keep in mind: try not to annoy the other players. The golden rule (which by the way is valid in many other social contexts), can be further specialized as:
1. Never ever ever collide intentionally with another rider (unless he's OK with that). What for you is just a game may be a matter of life or death for another (OK, I'm exaggerating a bit here but you get the idea). If you want to do demolition derby, host your own server (and go see a psy about that, it may have implications).
2. If you collide unintentionally, use the chat and excuse yourself: the other rider will think you're only half-stupid.
3. Don't stop in the middle of the track and then go AFK, including (but not limited to):
o to the toilet for a piss
o to the kitchen for a sandwich
o to your bedroom to "see" your sexual partner
Go back to the pits and then do whatever you want, but don't stop on the track ! Actually, not even beside the track, it's distracting.
4. Riding a circuit in the wrong direction is ... wrong. Don't do it.
5. Exiting the pits in the wrong direction is ... guess what, wrong. Don't do it.
6. When leaving the pit, give way (precedence) to riders already on track (passing the start/finish) in such a manner that they are in no way obstructed in their lap time. Also, don't cut the exit pit lane.
7. There are test servers: going there and doing a poll for a race will eventually force the players that do not want to do a race to leave the server. Bad. Don't.
8. If your ping is terrible (let's say 200+) you are likely to be an annoyance to the other riders.

If you don't know how to react in front of flags (blue, yellow, etc...) please read this article

Server admins can ban players from the servers. You didn't know ? Well now you do.

And by the way, if you cheat, you're a sad human being. We're all sorry for you.

5.1 Replays: view/edit saved replays
From GPB main menu, clicking on Replay will allow you to load (and delete) an already existing replay. Notice that:
• replays are saved under the GPB data folder (in the replays sub-folder).
• one single replay file stores replays of all the riders that were on track when the replay was captured.
Once you are in the replay mode you will see:
• Top of the screen: some timing/laps information and two pull-down menus allowing you to select which rider to follow and using which camera.
• Bottom of the screen:
o a time bar with a slider you can drag.
o a set of vcr-like buttons (mouse-over it and wait will show you a description of each button's action).
o a green and a red "cue" buttons, allowing to set start and end point (i.e. to select a subset of the time bar whole range).
o a Save button, to save the currently selected time range to a new replay file (i.e. you can cut an existing replay).
o a small ? (question mark) on the bottom left, showing the keyboard shortcuts during replays.
The cameras Free and Free-Roam can be moved while watching the replay: you will have to use the keyboard shortcuts.

5.2 Replays: replays while playing offline/online
While playing offline you can access the replay:
• while on the bike, pressing Esc and then clicking on Replay.
• from the pits, clicking on Replay
When playing online, you can only access the replay from the pits.

The major difference concerning replays between offline and online is that in offline mode when you press Esc or you are in the pits, the time is "frozen". On the other hand, when online the time will go on. This means that when online and in replay mode:
• if you put the slider of the time bar somewhere (except the rightmost point), you will see it move to the left (time flies !).
• if you put the slider of the time bar to the rightmost point, you will be watching live: this way you can watch real time other riders.
That aside, you can watch/cut/save the replays as describes previously. Keep in mind that the replay file is limited by the size specified in your gpbikes.ini file (see gpbikes.ini).

Note : When viewing a replay you can press the "spacebar" to hide the replay control interface.